Show ContentsBeaupre History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Beaupre is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Beaupre family lived in Devon. Looking back further, we can't help but mention the obvious reference to the town Beaupreau in France and the structure of the name. Beaupers or bewpers were manufacturers of linen and woollen goods in France. Hence the name could be an occupational name of tradespeople who emmigrated there.

Early Origins of the Beaupre family

The surname Beaupre was first found in Cornwall, where they held a family seat from ancient times. The name originated in the town of Beaupre in France and came to England with the conquest.

Early History of the Beaupre family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beaupre research. Another 208 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1273 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Beaupre History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beaupre Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Beaupre, Beapre, Baupre, Bowprey, Boughpray and others.

Early Notables of the Beaupre family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Stephen de Beaupre, a prominent 13th century landholder in Cornwall

Beaupre World Ranking

In the United States, the name Beaupre is the 13,112nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Beaupre is ranked the 854th most popular surname with an estimated 6,255 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Beaupre is the 323rd popular surname. 3


Beaupre migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Beaupre or a variant listed above were:

Beaupre Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Bail De Beaupre, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 4
  • Jean Baptiste Beaupre, who settled in New Orleans in 1727
Beaupre Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Philip Beaupre, who arrived in Chicago in 1840
  • William Beaupre, who settled in Wisconsin in 1863

Beaupre migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Beaupre Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Nicolas Beaupre, who settled in Quebec sometime between 1603 and 1683
Beaupre Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Pierre-François Beaupré married in Quebec in 1725
  • François-Pierre Beaupre, son of Philippe and Judith, who married Thérèse Mercier, daughter of Louis and Louise, in Quebec on 23rd October 1725 5
  • Pierre Beaupré married in Rageot in 1728
  • François Beaupré married in Saint-Sulpice in 1738
  • François Beaupre, son of Louis-François and Jeanne, who married Geneviève Dufaut, daughter of François and Françoise, in Saint-Sulpice, Quebec in 1738 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Beaupre Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Amabel Beaupre, who landed in Canada in 1832
  • John Beaupre, who landed in Canada in 1833

Contemporary Notables of the name Beaupre (post 1700) +

  • Edouard Beaupré (1881-1904), American circus and freak show giant, strongman, and a star in Barnum and Bailey's circus
  • Robert Beaupre, American banker
  • Theodore Beaupre, American politician, Village President of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, 1924-26 6
  • Ralph E. Beaupre Sr., American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Bloomfield, 1954 6
  • Michael C. Beaupre, American politician, Village President of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, 1931-32 6
  • Jack Beaupre, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1964 6
  • Arthur Matthias Beaupré (1853-1919), American politician, U.S. Minister to Colombia, 1903; Argentina, 1904-08; Netherlands, 1908-11; Luxembourg, 1908-11; Cuba, 1911-13 6
  • Charles-François Beautemps Beaupré (1766-1854), French hydrographer, hydrographic engineer and cartographer
  • Benjamin Beaupré (1780-1842), businessman and political figure in Lower Canada
  • Pascal Beaupré (b. 1983), Canadian politician from Quebec
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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